Ashley Guindon dies and two other colleagues injured in shooting incident
following emergency call-out

A newly sworn-in police officer was shot dead only a few hours into her shift with a US police department in Virginia during a domestic violence call.

Ashley Guindon, 28, was killed while two other officers were injured after responding to a call on Saturday evening relating to a "verbal argument" in Woodbridge. The gunman's wife was the victim in the domestic incident but authorities did not give her name.

The incident came just hours after a picture of Ms Guindon was posted to the department's Twitter page on Friday with a tweet that read: "Welcome Officers Steven Kendall & Ashley Guindon who were sworn in today & begin their shifts this weekend. Be Safe!"

The sergeant opened fire as the officers arrived at his front door, the Prince William County police chief said on Sunday, Washington Post reported.

Chief Stephan M Hudson said the suspect also shot and killed his wife, Crystal Hamilton, 29, before the officers arrived. She made the initial call to police.

Police at the scene where the three police officers were shot Photo: AP

On Sunday, Ronald Hamilton, 32, was arrested on murder and other charges in the death of the police officer and another person, authorities said.

Mr Hamilton was an active duty army staff sergeant assigned to the Joint Staff Support Centre at the Pentagon, according to Cindy Your, a Defence Information Systems Agency spokeswoman based at Fort Meade, Maryland.

His other charges included a first-degree murder charge, two counts of malicious assault and two counts of use of a firearm during a felony.

Ms Guindon had been a county police officer a few years ago and had left and returned to the force, Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William county board of supervisors, told The Associated Press.

More than 100 patrol cars line the roads outside Inova Fairfax Hospital to stand vigil and provide escort to the medical examiner for the body of slain police officer Ashley Guindon Photo: AP

Mr Stewart also said there was a child in the house during the incident who was not harmed.

Her grandmother said the death was "really a shock to us". Dorothy Guindon added: "Ashley was such a nice person."